Simonsig Mr Borio's Shiraz 2013

The wine shows a deep plum colour with attractive notes of blackberry and cherry. Notes of carnation intertwine with the well grafted tannins expressing layers of spice. A repetition of succulent blackberries and cherries reflects on the finish.

ageing : Can be enjoyed now, but further ageing of three to five years from vintage would be highly rewarded.

HistoryAlessandro Borio, a prisoner of war here during World War 2, stayed on making South Africa his home. A Master in “cemento” his unparalleled masonry skills and colourful personality made him a close friend of Simonsig’s Malan family. Starting every day by cooking breakfast on his spade, he built the first cement wine tanks on Simonsig. This, the oldest part of the cellar is still used today to produce the much lauded Simonsig Shiraz.

In 1993 a new planting program was started for Shiraz and only the best available clones were planted. These clones are all virus treated and are sourced from South Africa, France and Argentina. The 1996 Shiraz was the first wine to include grapes from the new plantings. The new clones ripen earlier with high sugar levels and show an abundance of colour and fruit flavours. The yields are also higher; therefore green harvesting is applied to limit the yield. Shiraz is the most planted grape variety on Simonsig Estate, as the terroir is perfectly suited to produce excellent quality Shiraz.

in the vineyard : The winter of 2013 was wet and cold. The cooler conditions extended in to early part of summer, but December was the hottest in 47 years of recorded history in Stellenbosch. The dry conditions of the summer changed on 9 and 10 February when we had a down pour of 44 mm. On Friday 8 March 2013 there were more showers but the conditions dried off rather quickly due to high temperatures and howling south easter. Our initial fears of some dilution in the late season reds soon disappeared when the reds completed fermentation. The 2013 vintage delivered wines with beautiful dark colours, soft and mature tannins with delicious ripe concentrated fruit flavours.

about the harvest: The sugar levels jumped to 25-26°B and it was a mad rush to pick as quickly as possible.